Conrad Schnitzler

[SKY BURIAL]

Conrad Schnitzler is one of those artists who has released so much material that there is no way I'd vever be able to hear it all. I am familiar with his work with Tangerine Dream, Kluster, his cassette concerts, the late 70s/early 80s electronica of Con "Ballet Statique" and "Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal " and the albums "Conal" and "Gelb" and "Consequenz". Are there any essentials from his nearly 1000 recordings, both from his regular discography and private "Contempora Con-Tinuous Work" that stand above the rest?

[A S I T G]

I recently encountered this one, and I've been really enjoying it.

this label Mirror Tapes recently released a tape of one of his cassette concerts from '84. haven't checked it out yet though.

[Andrew McIntosh]

I've always been a fan of "Rot" since I first heard it. Two lengthy, abstract pieces, "Meditation" and "Krautrock". When I heard this I felt this is where MB probably got a few ideas; not that there's a real comparison, perhaps, but there's a similar vibe and sound with the delayed electronic sounds blurting around with the more minimal chord structure underneath in "Meditation" that reminded me of MB. "Krautrock" is a quicker paced, rhythmic piece with flurrying lead breaks over it. This album seems to me to be a bit of a link between German electronic music of the 70's and later Industrial.

[Zeno Marx]

I'm not sure there is a more difficult task than this.  I've heard A LOT of his work, and while I like a great deal of it, very few albums (or tracks) stand out to memory.  Rot has received the most listens and greatest interest, but I can't say that makes it his best.  I really liked the cassette reissue series on Artgallery.

(and I just want to say that I absolutely HATE the way Discogs now organizes discographies)

[Mirror Tapes]

I recently encountered this one, and I've been really enjoying it.

this label Mirror Tapes recently released a tape of one of his cassette concerts from '84. haven't checked it out yet though.

here's a review if it could be helpful

Conrad Schnitzler '10.10.84' C42

Review by David Keenan - Wire Magazine, Jan 2011

Conrad Schnitzler, once of Tangerine Dream, Eruption and Kluster, remains one of the loneliest and most uncompromising figures on the fringes of Industrial Krautrock. 10.10.84 is a cassette release of one of his rare 'kassetten konzerts' where Schnitzler would mix simultaneous cassette playbacks of pre-recorded works to create an even more confusing multi-layered soundworld. For much of his career Schnitzler has dedicated himself to removing or reducing aspects of traditional performance and musicianship from his art, pioneering a form of musical 'automating' that predates Steve Stapleton of Nurse With Wound. But like Stapleton, Schnitzler is paradoxically unable to escape his own preferences which make his music as 'expressive' as any singer-songwriter. 10.10.84 is instantly recognisable as prime-Schnitzler, with a crucial umbilical to the colour-coded series of albums he released between 1973-1981. His synth work is characterised by a specifically portentous sleight of hand, subverting doomy melodies with flat or oddly placed notes played in Frankenstein rhythms and always with a hint of gothic camp. The loneliness of Schnitzler's universe is as personal as an Ed Wood set and as awkwardly revealing. Beautifully packaged by Mirror Tapes, the cassette has the feel of the kind of lonely early-80s Industrial postcard you might once have traded through the mail. And despite Schnitzler's antipathy towards performance, it's a hell of a show.

Mirror Tapes
http://www.mirrortapes.blogspot.com

Orient Occident Mailorder
http://www.discogs.com/user/OrientOccident

[heretogo]

I'm by no means an expert but I've liked most of the stuff I've heard by him. The only disappointment that I can remember is the Klavierhelm cd on Important and maybe I should give that one also another chance. The latest I got from him was the Slow Motion 2LP (well.. one side is empty) on Sagittarius A-Star. Very nice understated semi-rhythmic stuff. Doesn't blow the mind but hard to see anybody getting disappointed with this.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Finally felt like going through the MASSIVE 8xLP box set on V.O.D.
Apart from the last LP, which is plain horrid shitty synth-pop, there is great variety of approaches to electronic sound from 1971 onwards. Some are highly abstract, others are something to be considered music.

To me, this box works better than basically anything I have previously heard from Schnitzler. It doesn't appear as "leftovers", despite it was just compilation of various back then unreleased recordings issued as tape box. Perhaps it is exactly reason why they work so well..

VOD honours Conrad Schnitzler's life-time achievement with the Catalogue-Number VOD100 and the beautiful Retrospective of his 1971-1983-Works previously released just as a very limited 6xTape-Set on Transmitter Tapes in 1983.

The complete Box gives an incredible insight into Schnitzlers variety of works produced from the early 70's to the early 80's. From Industrialish and drone-ish-experiments and soundscapes to minimalistic ,,Pop-Songs", all can be found on this Set.

Sample below isn't nearly among best, but seems to be only one at youtube. At best - for my taste - this box goes when it is firmly in industrialish realms. Musical, soundtrack-esque stuff works well. Very early swirling modulations may have been great back in 1971, but now feels slightly out-dated. But still, good stuff to listen compared to the horrid pop songs of '83 on the final LP.

Very good sound on the box set. Maybe slightly exaggerated packaging, with all the 3-panel gatefolds with lots of empty blank space but only two LP's.. It took me 2 days to listen the box, and felt like could just continue with KLUSTER ,,Klusterstrasse 69-72" 8LP-Box that has been waiting. I normally ain't that huge fan of kraut-synth, so perhaps it tells a bit about level of material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioLoAIRrA2c

[jadderly]

I'm hardly an authority on the guy, but I have a few of his "regular" albums on reissued LP from Bureau B Records out of Germany. All really enjoyable and worth checking out IMHO.

Here are the ones I have:

Blau
Silver
Grun
Consequenz
Rot

Also, Conrad was a member of Kluster/Cluster early on in that band's history. The Eruption live album (also reissued by Bureau B on LP and CD) is very good and worth a listen as well.